Down to The Last Perfection Ver 02
by Spaz913
Summary: Videl and Erasa have a plan. A plan that will crash worlds together, and stur up an unfelt emotion in Videl. Can Gohan handle the challenge? Who will take Videl to the dance? Gohan, with his two left feet, or Sharpner and his girly haircut?
1. Saturday Morning With Son Gohan

**Disclaimer:** I don't own DB/DBZ/DBGT. This fanfic was written for the fun of doing so, and the love for Akira Toriyama's characters. Hehe, that official enough sounding for you? Hope so, because it's the best I got.

**Author's Note(s):** Hola! 'Tis me. Cali. The Spaz you all know and love. (or maybe not.) I'm re-writing a fanfic I never finished and haven't written for in a LONG time. So I'm discontinuing that, and starting it over like this. I would delete it off but I want to keep it there as a reminded of how much my writing has changed in a year. A lot. For the best, I hope. Anyway, I'm sure you can figure the rest out for yourself! Enjoy the first chappie!

Also! Sometimes the words stick together and I can't seem to fix it, so yeah... You should be able to read it! Sorry for any spelling errors, because if they're there, it's because spell check missed them or I didn't catch them. Thanks in advance. MEOW!

Happy Chrismakkah! (Do you think I'm a little too obsessed with The O.C.?)

* * *

**Chapter 1:**

Saturday Morning with Son Gohan.

* * *

Gohan's charcoal hair basked in the stream of aurous sunlight gazing at him through the window beside his bed. The glowing heat kindled on the tips of his hairs, like striking the wick of a candle and slowly it melted its' way down to his scalp. It first spread over his forehead, then to the pitch lines of his eyebrows. He squinted as a drop of hot wax rolled off his brow and slid along his eyelashes, creating a cage that captured the wax before it had the chance to reach his eyelids. Despite his dense lashes, the wax slipped through the cracks and sluggishly waned along the line of his eyelids. The liquid intensified the brightness of the light flowing in the window. The red irritation that gently engulfed his cuticle stirred him in his deep slumber. 

He sat up and lifted a drowsy hand up off of the covers at his side and rubbed his eye with the palm of his hand languidly. He yawned and groaned, trying to pull his mind out of its daze. He scraped out the grains of dusty sleep that had gathered around his eyes overnight with his knuckles. He yawned again while throwing his arms up in the air, stretching out his tired limbs.

Groaning more, Gohan turned over to the edge of his bed. He propped his torso up on his elbows. The weight of his body in the early morning hours had constantly baffled him. He could turn an icy mountain into a lively valley, flowers and all,yet he couldn't seem to gather the strength to carry himself over the threshold between dream land and the realm of the living. He sighed and a gleam of daylight reflected off the clear glass window, and caught a glint in his half-awakened eye.

The area surrounding the only place he ever knew as home was desolate and peaceful. The affectionate chippings of Love Birds generously engrossed the sun as it ascended in the sky, welcoming it for the next few hours it would be with them. The grassy plains of his father's property extended for acres before hitting a bustling forest, and steep hills that gradually transformed into full-blown mountains.

The paper work wasn't needed to know that these vast meadows belonged to his father. Goku wasn't one to deal with such matters. Neither was Gohan's grandfather, the Ox King. He just always assumed that no one was around for miles to complain anyway. It was just starting to bug him... Chichi just _had_ to get him into reading those darn real estate books.

Gohan pulled the covers off him and shoved them against the wall,then threw his legs over the side of the bed. He rubbed his temples momentarily before proceeding. _What day is it? _he thought to himself. _Saturday?..._ _ugh..._ Saturday. That meant... _Videl. _

He sighed and ran a tired hand through his dark strands of hair. _Videl... _Gohan thought, finally convincing his lazy legs to stand. He shook off a hazy throb that zipped through his dizzy head. He stumbled to his door, and groped around the frame blindly, before eventually grabbing hold of the handle. The knob gently turned in his limp hand, only to be swung open by his mother. _Uh-oh..._

"Gohan!" Chichi's explosive tone blasted forth, slamming directly into Gohan's chest.

Gohan's ebony pupils dilated to an disproportionate size at his mother's timely appearance.

Chichi blinked numbly for a few seconds, staring blankly at her son. She was shocked to see him standing there behind the door, when she expected him to be loosing around in bed again. She was on her way to wake him up. Her motherly voice made for a lovely alarm clock.

"Mom!" he blurted out.

She looked up at him and smiled. "Well then! It looks like you're already up!" she said, cheer coursing through her.

"Yeah... heh heh..." Gohan said with a cautious look in his eyes. "I had to get up. Videl's due to be over here around noon."

Chichi's features were horror-stricken, like she had seen the devil in her son's eyes. Well, she was close. Re-arrange the letters in devil and it spelled out... Videl Satan.

Gohan hesitated before asking, "Mom?"

"Oh... I see..." she muttered, glaring at the floorboards. "You'll wake up for Videl without even thinking about it..." She paused, her eyes radiating red. Then, without warning, her head snapped up and Gohan took a wary step backward, accidentally bumping his hip into the corner of a table near his door. "But you won't get out of bed to eat the breakfast **_I_** slaved over for you!"

"No no no!" he replied, waving his arms in the air defensively. "It's not like that at all!"

"Oh really!" she yelled like a maniac, fire gleaming in the pits of her eyes. "Don't lie to your mother!" She stomped off into the kitchen insanely. She returned moments later, frying pan in had.

Gohan's eyes widened in horror. "What! NO!"

Chichi approached him, "You're lucky this isn't hot yet!" She stalked him like she was in a horror-flick, her frying pan as her knife, and Gohan's rapid heartbeat replaced the eerie music that you would hum out of the movie theater.

"AHH!"

****

CLUNK!

* * *

Wow... what a fiasco that was... phew! I really thought I was fired there for a second! Heh... too bad the worst was still to come.

* * *

"Videl?" Erasa's voice sounded through the phone rereceiver 

"Yeah?..." Videl replied on the other end. "Oh! Hi Erasa, what you up to?"

A mischievous voice answered her, "I was going to ask you the same thing."

"What? Why?" Videl asked, holding her cell phone to her ear with her shoulder, while her hands were passing a brush through her short, choppy raven locks.

"Because... you know..."

Videl held a bobby pin between her teeth as she mumbled a response, "No Erasa I really don't."

"Gohan!" she shouted like an excited two year old.

"Oh yeah..." she said, then removed the black pin from her mouth and situated it into her hair to keep some of her light bangs from falling in her face. "What about him?"

"Aren't you going over to his house today?" she led her on.

"Uh-huh," Videl said in a simple comment. She fluffed her hair once or twice carelessly, ruffing it up to make it go with her tomboy look. The last thing she wanted was someone thinking she spent more than five minutes in front of the mirror everyday. It would totally ruin her reputation.

"That's it!"

"Why would there be anything else?" she asked, knowing where her long time friend was going with the conversation, but not allowing her to take it there.

Erasa growled, a loud static fuzz was received at Videl's end of the line. She continued with a sigh, "Videl..."

"Yes?"

"Aren't you the least bit excited to see him?" she whined.

"Not really." She set down the brush, and gave herself one last glance in the mirror. Her hair was perfect -by her standards anyway. It was a neat/messy do. Not messy enough to be classified as bed-head, but not neat enough to be classified as proper. Her clothes were nothing more than a long, extra large white tank top that could have been stolen from her father's closet, with a black t-shirt under it, straying away from the pink tee that usually went beneath it. Tight spandex short shorts could barely be seen behind the long shirt. _Just right._

"You're a either a really good lier, or a really honest person," Erasa said.

"I'll take the latter. Thanks." Videl smiled at herself. She knew her way around her best-friend. She just kept pushing that button.

Erasa giggled. "Okay okay, I give. I'll stop pestering you about Gohan, but that doesn't I believe you."

Videl laughed and picked up her backpack off her bed.. "Alright, whatever you say Erasa." She swung the bag around to her back and walked into the hallway and down to her father's room. "Hey Erasa, I gotta go, I'll talk to you later."

"Okie dookie! Love ya. Make sure you call me later too, I want details!"

Videl said goodbye with a smile, "Sure! Love ya too, bye." She ended the call, pushed down the antenna and folded her phone back up. She stuffed it into her backpack and leaned against the frame to her father's study.

There he was. Hercule Satan. Sitting there on his beanbag chair, eating Cheezits in front of the television wearing his championship belt and blue boxer shorts. She sighed. _God Dad, couldn't you show some dignity?_ She smiled and shook her head.

"Hey Dad," she announced her entrance to the room.

He turned her way with a grin. "Hey there sweetie! What you up to?"

"Not much Daddy, I'm heading over to Gohan's house, I'll be home later," she said swiftly, trying to get it out as fast as she could manage, hoping he wouldn't catch the whole sentence.

"Who is this... umm..." he started, and asked just the question Videl was trying to avoid, "this, Gohan fella?"

"He's a..." She paused and thought over how she would phrase it. "He's a boy at my school, Dad."

"What's your connection with him?" he inquired like a detective, all he needed was a small notebook and a pen.One of those little detective hats, or magnifying lenses would have been a nice touch too. "I thought that Sharpner kid"

"He's not my boyfriend, if that's what you were thinking," she said, knowing far too well that was _exactly_ what he was thinking.

"Good. I wouldn't want to learn that my own daughter was cheating on the best football player in town."

Videl sighed and rubbed her forehead. _Sharpner isn't my boyfriend either... oh well, he makes for a good cover._

"The press would be all over it."

"Yeah yeah, I get it Daddy," she said, stopping his ramblings. She bent down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll call you later to check in."

He nodded and a cheese puff fell out of his curly hair.

"Ew... take a shower Dad," she advised and patted his shoulder as she left.

"Sure thing, Honey!"

* * *

"Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg! Bat Mobile lost it's wheel and Joker got away! HEY!" Gohan sung into the handle of the vacuum, dancing to his own beat. After being chased around the house with a frying pan for an hour, he had swiftly headed back to his room to clean. He had a lot of work to do. His room was a complete disaster, thanks to the minions soundly asleep in the next room. Of course, Trunks _had _to stay the night, and make a mess out of his cozy living space. Making it nearly impossible for anyone to even walk in, let alone someone from school. The most important person from school; 

Videl.

He sighed and picked up some old McDonald's food wrappers and tossed then in the garbage with his monkey-like toes. He yawned and unplugged the vacuum, finding it hard to suck up any dust off the floor when there was so much other stuff laying above it. He set the vacuum cleaner aside and threw some dirty clothes into the hamper nestled in his closet. The room was defiantly looking better. Not the neat and tidy way he liked it, but average. Though it wasn't something he would want Videl to see.

Gohan began singing again, "Grandma got ran over by a reindeer!"

"Walking from our house on Christmas Eve," a familiar female voice joined in and finished the verse. She was standing in his doorway, her fore-arm resting on the wooden frame. She bit down on her tongue and bottom lip just enough to stop herself from bursting out into a fit of laughter. She examined his back muscles for a mere second she had to see them. She had to admit though, he did have a, _nice butt. _

_Videl..._ He spun around and gulped, terrified. He hadn't even had enough time to change into his training gi. So he stood there, wearing nothing but the red, heart patterned boxer shorts Bulma had given him a year prior.

Videl's grin grew, revealing her shiny white teeth and releasing her tongue and bottom lip. Before she could stop them, her eyes went straight to his chest and they slowly roamed over his stomach and huge biceps. Perfect washboard abs, thin waste line, broad shoulders and massively strong arms, with just the right amount of pitch curls swirling down into his boxers from his navel. How could a yellow tinted shirt hide so much?

"Vi...Videl! You-You're early!" he stuttered. He quickly noticed where she was gazing and a blush promptly spread all the way from his cheeks to his ears and back again.

The flower pink that was added to his facial complexion only made her smile more. _How cute! Him in his heart boxers and shy blush... _she thought to herself, then instantly regretted it. _Maybe this is why Erasa likes shy guys. Heh, who knew?_ Despite her thoughts on Erasa, she couldn't wipe the smile off her lips, and frankly, she didn't want to. She couldn't remember when she had had more fun, and she couldn't have been there more than five minutes. "Nice boxers," was all she could manage to say before giggling insanely.

The rose on his cheeks intensified. "They were a gift..." he murmured, looking away from her and trying his best to cover himself.

"From whom, may I ask?" she queried between giggles.

"Bulma," he replied, still desperately attempting to avoid her eyes.

"Hah! That's too funny," Videl exclaimed and laughed uncontrollably. "If would have made sense if she gave you _Briefs_!"

Gohan smiled and chuckled lightly. He reached up and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Yeah. Heh... I guess it would."

Videl finally regained her composure and grinned at him. He still wasn't looking at her. _Well, I would be embarrassed too,_ she thought to herself and grinned. She was inwardly disappointed that Bulma Briefs hadn't lived up to her name. If Gohan would had been in heart patterned briefs, she was certain this event would have been more memorable. Videl's cheeks began to heat up at her thoughts, and she finally realized just how close she was to this perfectly toned body and pretty good looking face that belonged to no other than Son Gohan.

Videl turned around hastily, hiding her tomato complexion. She coughed to clear her throat. "Why don't you put some clothes on? I'll go and talk to Chichi or something." She shot one last glance at him, and he was smiling in spite of himself. She walked out reluctantly, and closed the door behind her.

Gohan nearly collapsed when the door was closed, and his privacy once again intact. He breathed in deeply and slowly released the air in steady intervals. _What's up with people today!_ He sighed and quickly dug out some clothes to put on. He didn't want to give his mother too much time alone with Videl.

* * *

Videl reached the living room at the end of the hallway. The kitchen was separated into it's own room by a curved wall with a window in the center making the space seem bigger then it was. The walls were cream colored, working well with the hard wood floors. In Videl's eyes it seemed old fashion, compared to her mansion, or Bulma's technology loving sphere. 

"Oh, hello again Videl," Chichi greeted as she flipped a pancake with a metal spatula.

"Hey."

"Where's Gohan?" she asked while adjusting the temperature on the stove.

"He's getting dressed," Videl answered, her attention focused on the pancake as it flipped through the air once again. _How does she do that?_

"Oh, that's niceWHAT!" Chichi did a double-take and abandoned her frying pan.

"What?" she said, confusion altering her face. She followed Chichi as she stormed passed her and down the hallway.

"I_can't_ believe it! My _own_ son! In my _own_ house!" she ranted on, in a rampage.

Then Videl's own words came back to her, "_He's getting dressed."_ It hit her like a brick wall. "Shit!" she cursed to herself. "NO CHICHI!" She jolted after her, but she was too late.

Chichi had already busted down her son's door, revealing a baffled Gohan in his blue training gi pants, tying the cloth belt.

"Mom!"

"GOHAN!"

"Chichi! NO!"

****

CLUNK!

* * *

Thanks for reading! I really hope you liked the first chapter! Review please! Constructive criticism is always greatly appreciated! Oh yeah, and my deal is that if you read and review my story, I read and review your story! (it's only fair, right?)


	2. A Little History Lesson

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything... I don't feel like jazzing up the disclaimer right now.

**Author's Note(s):** Hi there again folks! 'Tis me again (who else, right?) I love you all, dearly. This chapter is... well, I don't know exactly how to describe it. It's different from stuff I've written in the past, but you have to move on, right? RIGHT! Okay then, straying off topic a little, I'd like to boast a bit. Hehe. My highschool Freshman team is undefeated! w00t! Of course, I'm on the Junior Varsity team, but that's beside the point. We're currently 2-1 with a game on monday! With a little good luck perhaps we can add another win to our record! Wish me luck. Oh yes, and I apologize for an errors in advance.

Enjoy the chappie!

* * *

**Chapter 2:**

A Little History Lesson.

* * *

Chichi had already busted down her son's door, revealing a baffled Gohan in his blue training gi pants, tying the cloth belt. 

"Mom!"

"GOHAN!"

"Chichi! NO!"

****

CLUNK!

Gohan looked at the frying pan in shock. It had just missed his head, and slammed into the wall instead. _Phew! _he thought to himself. _Thank Kami for good reflexes._

Videl stood halfway down the hallway to his room, utterly baffled. _T-That's crazy! Going after him with a... frying pan...? Isn't that a little extreme!_

Chichi caught her breath and straightened her pose once again, readying for another strike. She panted and shot a glare back at Videl.

"Mom..."

"Ever since you starting hanging around with that slut" Chichi's insult was cut off by a raging Videl.

"What did you just say!" Videl asked through clenched teeth. She looked like a Mountain Lion ready to pounce at any moment. Gohan could have sworn her heard her growl.

"Hey..." a scratchy voice sounded from the hallway. "What's going on?..." he asked, his purple hair a mess atop his head. "What's all the yelling and"

Goten cut him off as he zoomed down the small corridor and jumped beside Trunks. "What's for breakfast!"

"OH NO!" his mother yelled, exiting the room frantically. "MY PANCAKES!"

"YAY! Pancakes!" Goten celebrated, following his mother with a bounce in his step.

"I want waffles..." Trunks whined, dragging his feet into the kitchen.

There was an eerie silence that remained when all but Gohan and Videl had left to the kitchen.The buzzing began. A deadly soundlessness that threatened to consume the duo.

Gohan was the first to speak. "Wow..."

Videl looked over at him. Then at the dent in the wall. She gulped and let her gaze fall on the teenage Saiyan again. "I'm sorry," she muttered.

He chuckled and sat down on his bed with a sigh. "It's okay, Videl."

"Your mom's crazy," she said, then added quickly, "no offense."

"Yeah. I know." He rubbed his eyes and sighed. "That's the second time she chased me around the house with a frying pan today."

Videl was quiet. She didn't know exactly what to say. It wasn't an ordinary thing. Usually when a kid is bad, they get grounded or something... but never chased around the house with a frying pan.

"What made her so mad, anyway?" he queried, looking up at her. He patted the bed at his side, motioning for her to sit.

She complied with a smile. "She asked where you were... and without thinking I said you were getting dressed." Her cheeks reddened slightly.

Gohan noticed her pinked features and smiled to himself.

She glanced in his direction and saw his grin. "What? You think this is funny?"

He leaned away from her nervously. "No no! Not funny at all!"

She gave him a strange look.

"It's just," he started, relaxing back into his seat on the bed. He set his eyes at the floor and smiled like a wise man about to begin a tale. "I'm just surprised she let us off that easily."

Videl sputtered a laugh. "She let us off _easy_!"

He chuckled at her.

"That's what you call easy! I'd hate to see her when she's playing hardball," she said, a sour edge to her voice.

"You have no idea," Gohan continued, "Only Dad could calm her down sometimes... even if he was the reason behind her fury."

Videl followed his gaze over to a photograph on his bedside table. It was in well polished golden frame.

He realized they were both staring at the same thing and went over to get the picture. He sat back down next to her, closer this time, and handed her the photo. "That's a really old picture of Mom, Dad, and me," he explained.

She studied the picture for a moment. It was old, like he had said. There was a small boy sitting on a relatively young man's shoulders, with a pretty, much younger Chichi smiling up at father and son -her boys.

Videl smiled and looked over at Gohan, who was staring intently at the ancient photograph.

He reached over to point out who was who with his hand and accidentally brushed her cheek. "Oh, sorry," he quickly said.

She smiled. "It's okay."

He pointed to the little black haired boy, stationed atop his father's strong shoulders. "That's me."

"I think I could figure that one out myself, thanks," she said, grinning at him.

"Yeah, I guess you could." He pulled his hand back. "Then I bet you know which one is my dad."

"The guy with the orange gi outfit, right?" She glanced over at him, her eyes flowing down to his chest. "Like yours." She laughed. "Oh, and by the way, feel free to put a shirt on at any time."

Gohan looked down at his bare front, slightly shocked to find it uncovered. _Shoot, I guess Mom busting in like that made me lose my train of thought..._ "Uh... t-that's not a bad idea!" His hand instantly went up to scratch the back of his head as he stood up and picked a crumbled blue gi shirt up from the floor.

Videl found herself looking up at his muscular torso again. She was especially fond of the smooth contours of his back that extended into his broad shoulders. No matter how much she looked at him, it never ceased to amaze her. How could this body builder be the same geek that she sat one chair away from everyday at school? It didn't seem possible.

She forced herself to look away from him and instead scanned the picture in her hands. Gohan's father, like her mother, had passed away many years ago. Well... saying that they_ passed away _wasn't exactly the right words, though. Goku was blown up by a huge energy blast, and her mother was hit by a bus with a Cheeto's ad on it. So, they weren't _passed_ delicately into the hands of god, they were thrown into the afterlife like rabid dogs to a cage.

Of course, Videl didn't know that Goku was killed by Cell during the Cell Games seven years prior. In fact, she wasn't even aware he was dead at all. This was one of the many things she didn't know about the Son family. Through all her digging around she only discovered was that Goku was an expert fighter in the World Martial Arts Tournament.

"Where's your dad now?" she asked curiously, glancing up from the picture. Gohan was now fully clothed, and Videl was once again left to marvel at his grand physic. The clothes he wore during school hid everything. Every ounce of power was kept under wraps. The loose gi outfit was entirely different, though. It seemed to add strength and vigor into his form, making him even more appealing to her sight. It was like lifting a veil that hid a force so incredible, that if it was revealed before it's time, it would erupt into a fiery fury and engulf the hearts of teenage girls everywhere.

It was the start of an extremely corny Action/Romance novel. There was a spell about him that not only entranced her eyes, but swayed her mind, which in turn nudged at her heart. Maybe a small bit of longing was seeping into her, like water through the cracks between floorboards. Longing, though? Longing for what? With Gohan? No... no, she must have been mistaken.

"He uhh" He couldn't very well tell her the truth, and have his father show up at the World Tournament in a week. Gohan searched his mind for words. For a thought that could be put into a coherent sentence. Arranged into a lie to why his father wasn't around. "Um..." he paused, looking around the room, searching for some type of inspiration. Anything. He caught a glimpse of the Dream-Catcher hanging above his bed and an idea sprang into his head like a tiger launching itself at it's current victim. "He's helping some Indians rebuild their village..."

"Oh, I see," she said, deaf to the lying note resounding in his speech. "How long has it been since you've seen him?"

"It's been..." Gohan thought hard to himself. Was there really a reasonable response? It had been seven years since Goku's death. He couldn't cover-up the fact that he missed him, so... "It's been about 3 years now."

"Wow, that's a long time for him to be away from his family," she said, genuinely believing his every word.

"Yeah, there were complications and things that I don't want to talk about," he said.

"My mom's been dead about three years now."

He felt a tinge in him of hurt rip away at his heart. Lying to her was like punching himself in the stomach, each time a little harder than the last. "I see." He was glad the topic was no longer on him, but he wasn't all that fond of where the conversation led; to her. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Videl could sense the gorge that held her tears tightly inside shiver at the thought of her mother. Life had never been the same since her death. No matter how much her father tried to make-up for the loss, there would always be a gaping hole through the center of her heart. _Please don't ask how she died, _Videl mentally pleaded, _please don't ask how she died. _

"How did she die?" Gohan asked, unaware of the battle waring out inside her head.

Goddamn it! She cursed to herself. Everyone always to ask how her mother died. She hated talking about it... she dreaded explaining the unfortunate events that led to her mother's unlikely demise.

She swallowed hard.

"You okay, Videl?" he asked, his voice flooded with concern.

She smiled meekly. She took a moment to seriously consider if she really was okay. Well, for one, she still wasn't over her mother's demise. She had no faith in god at all, and she hadn't ever let the thought of praying enter her mind, even in the most desperate of times; she couldn't rely on her father for most things, he had too much work to do; the press was always out for her picture, paparazzi following her every movement; no matter how much love she received from her friends, she had never felt more alone in the world.

So, no. She wasn't okay. Of course, Gohan didn't need to know that.

"I'm okay." Normally, she was an average lier, but this was something, that despite every time she had rehearsed it, it never got any easier.

He examined her like he had never done before. She was on the verge of tears, her bottom lip tightly clenched -willing herself not to surrender to the raging ocean behind her eyes that was threatening to burst forth. He tilted his head to look more closely at her face that was slightly hidden under her hair that was jaggedly dropping around her eyes and downcast expression.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she swiftly said. "I... I'm fine."

He could almost feel the quiver in her voice, his Saiyan senses kicking in. The smell of her unshed tears hung in the air, her eyes reddening the tiniest tint. The salty tears that continued to assault her by burning in their unstable captivity began to spread a glaze over her eyes and dam up at the bottom of her eyelids. It was obvious now that she was being eaten away from the inside-out and nothing she could do would cover it up.

Gohan had been through this, more than once in the past. After the Cell Games, the Son family had lost a Goku and soon gained a Goten -Goku's last gift to his wife. The shower of tears that rained from his eyes that day were in too high a number to count. The amount of tears he held inside was at least twice that, though. No doubt they were still there... devouring his soul like an acid gnawing open an old wound in his chest.

His father died, and suddenly his responsibilities tripled. He couldn't break down in front of his mother, that was the last thing she needed, and besides, she had taken over that role all alone. He had to stand strong and hide his pain, for the sake of his mother and his own pride. Then, Goten came along. His birth was full of joy and merriment. He was a miniature Goku, in almost every way. It was Gohan's turn to play the part of the dad, he was his role model, his, "Ni-chan" and his mentor.

Remarkably, he learned how to do all this with Vegeta not too far away. They were both going through something similar, Gohan with the loss of his father, and Vegeta with the loss of his rival and determination. He taught him of pride, honor and responsibility. Gohan listened carefully, and took a step back in his mind to put Vegeta's words into modern terms. He had to have pride, honor, and responsibility to take care of his family.

Goten arrived almost exactly a year after Trunks' birth. Vegeta had never dealt with a child before, let along his own son. He was learning how to be a decent father, while Gohan was learning how to be a good brother. You couldn't always be nice, but you always had to love them, whether it be shown to the world, or just between the two. There was an instant, everlasting bond set at their birth, father to son, and brother to brother. Gohan and Vegeta both had their work cut out for them, that was a given.

Now, years upon years later, Gohan was sitting down with the girl of his dreams and she was going through the same thing. A common link of fate that was always going to be there. Comfort, Gohan knew, wasn't going to help here. Everyone tried to pamper and console her, but their attempts were useless. Videl was an extravagantly beautiful, confident, and strong girl. She wouldn't just miraculously toss her shield away and cry on his open shoulder, nor would she accept any help.

She was a female Vegeta in a certain sense. Her pride, self-esteem, honor, and headstrong attitude drove her forward, and sometimes, pulled her down with the weight of it all. Even the sturdiest shoulders crumble under so much pressure. There's only so much one can do, and Videl's load was far over her limit.

Thus, comfort was out of the question. She would refuse his sympathy and end up hiding in the bathroom. She wasn't going to cry in front of him, he knew that -at least, not until she was prepared to wrap herself in the warm blanket of his embrace.

Therefore, he did the only thing he could do at that point. He shifted the weight onto his side of the conversation scale. "Alright then."

"Huh?" she looked up from the crumpled pile of clothing on the floor and treaded her pleading eyes up to his.

He caught her glance, and held it for as long as he could sustain without losing his sanity. He never realized just how _blue _her eyes were. How _deep _the river ran from them to her soul. It was finally his turn to be caught off-guard. Had he ever actually truly _gazed _into the ocean that swirled wonderfully around into the pitch pit in the center? No... not like that. The gleam of watery tears seemed to wipe away all of her defenses, like raining on a car window.

"I uh..." he gulped, turning his head away after gaining her attention.

Before Gohan could finish his thought, his little brother blasted through his bedroom door (which he had had just fixed) and stood atop it victoriously.

"Ni-Chan!" an excited yell escaped his tiny body.

Trunks followed behind him. "Some guy's at the door for you..."

"Huh...?"

Looked like Gohan didn't have to come up with his own distraction anyway. He wearily walked down the hall with his brother in the lead. Videl hastily let a persistent tear fall, and wiped it away with the palm of her hand before walking after them. Gohan thanked Kami for the guest... until he saw who was at the door awaiting him.

* * *

**End Note:** Wahoo! Did you like it? I hope so. If not, how about leaving me a comment of how I can improve. Although, there is that slight chance that you actually enjoyed the chappie... if so, then perhaps you could leave me a review telling me what you liked... o.O Please? I always accept suggestions! w00t! Help a girl out, will ya? 

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**A big thank you to all the reviewers of Chapter 1:**

**Story Weaver1  
RWT  
Juanitaaa  
DBZ Fan  
Lobsstaceyters  
Firelife  
baby blonde  
PeaceLover  
unknown beedee**

You guys rock my socks! 

Go read my reviewers ficcy's >.> **Now!** I command thee! o.O

**Love ya!**


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